1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates generally to rear view mirrors for automotive vehicles and more particularly to an adjustable rear view mirror providing improved visibility through the use of flat and convex mirrored surfaces.
2. Description Of The Prior Art
Since the advent of the automotive vehicle, rear view mirrors for use in the vehicle have been of primary importance as the vehicles moved much more quickly and responsively than prior horse-drawn carriages. It has become increasingly important due to increased traffic and vehicle speeds to have an optimum view of what is behind and to the sides of a vehicle in addition to what is readily viewable in front of the vehicle.
While many cars are intentionally designed to provide good peripheral and rear vision by optimizing window space around the perimeter of the cab of a vehicle, aesthetic design considerations often override utilitarian considerations thereby leaving some vehicles less than desirable from a vision standpoint.
Further, conventional rear view mirrors typically have a flat mirrored surface providing a fixed range of vision for an operator of the vehicle even though the positioning of that range is adjustable through a universal mounting of the mirror on the windshield of the vehicle. When the mirror is set in a predetermined position, however, the angle of vision is no greater than a predetermined angle as determined primarily by the horizontal width of the mirror.
Attempts have been made to broaden the angle of rear vision provided to the operator of an automotive vehicle. Some such attempts have included a plurality of laterally spaced flat mirrored surfaces which form an angle relative to each other and thus various angles relative to the operator of the vehicle so that a broader spectrum of rear vision is provided. Other attempts have been in the form of attachments to mirrors which have been devised such that a convex mirror may be removably attached to a conventional flat automotive mirror with the curvature of the convex mirror being such that the angle of rear viewing is greater than that provided by the flat mirror of the same size. Further, convex mirrors have been provided for adhesive attachment over conventional flat mirrors again to broaden the range of vision. In these instances, however, the driver is usually predominantly limited to use of the convex mirror as opposed to the flat mirror as the convex mirror overlies a significant portion of the flat mirror and as will be appreciated, convex mirrors do in fact distort vision to some degree leaving the operator of the vehicle with a predominantly distorted rear view.
It is against this background of prior art that the present invention has been developed.